While swimmers still need to pull back in breaststroke to move forward, it differs from the other strokes in that there is a significant inward component as well. The arms end up much wider when setting up the stroke, so swimmers have to bring everything back to the body. Too many swimmers simply sweep the hands in rather than actually pulling the arm into the body. Here’s a simple way to improve this skill. Have swimmers place their arm on the deck and squeeze the whole arm into the deck or gutter. This allows them to feel the position they need to create, and how to apply force through the whole arm, rather than just sculling in. This exercise is a lot more effective when combined with other pulling activities that help swimmers understand how to use the arms to create speed. Feel the skill, apply the skill, go fast. Follow @andrewksheaff for more on the key skills in swimming, and how to improve them.